Confucian and Taoist scholar

The Jixia Academy, a sacred Confucian site with a history spanning thousands of years, suffered its most devastating blow after weathering the storms of successive dynasties.

After the Confucian sages passed away, Lu Zheng once again stripped away the Confucian and Taoist fortune of this place.

This sacred place, like those Confucian and Taoist families, ultimately ended up existing in name only.

Within the academy, the high-ranking figures who witnessed this scene were powerless to stop it, nor did they have the courage to confront Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng relies on Confucian sages; what can these scholars do?
Anyone who steps forward now will likely die and leave behind a bad reputation, gaining nothing in return.

Lu Zheng suppressed his imposing aura and looked down at the Jixia Academy and the various expressions of the people below.

"The Jixia Academy should be a school for all people, working for the benefit of all, not a private estate for a few..."

Lu Zheng left behind some words, then drifted away.

His voice still echoes throughout the academy.

On a green mountain, Tian Jiu gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with admiration.

"The sages' recognition of him far surpasses that of anyone throughout history. Under heaven, only he could have done such a thing and still escape unscathed..."

Looking back at history, even when the religion was flourishing in the previous dynasty, the Zhao dynasty did not inflict such a severe blow on Confucianism, dismantling Confucian and Taoist families and destroying Confucian and Taoist holy sites.

Even if dynasties throughout history suppressed Confucianism, they would not have gone to such extremes, because doing so would have aroused dissatisfaction among scholars and would have been detrimental to the stability of their rule.

However, Lu Zheng's actions were somewhat different; he invited the Confucian sages to clean up the sect.

Even if the matter were to spread to other countries, which scholar could openly say that it was the inappropriate behavior of the sages and Lu Zheng?
When Confucian and Taoist families make mistakes, sages will step in to clean up their ranks. This way, no one will question anything, but will instead acknowledge the Confucian sages and support Lu Zheng.

……

Emperor Qi, who was in the palace, sensed the unusual activity outside, but his expression remained unchanged.

Now that things have come to this point, we must destroy the old and establish the new.

After things calmed down completely at the Jixia Academy, Emperor Qi summoned his ministers to discuss important matters.

Many ministers were still recovering from the various changes that had occurred in Confucianism and Taoism, and were feeling unwell both physically and mentally, yet they forced themselves to go see Emperor Qi.

Facing his court officials, Emperor Qi's face was ashen, and his voice was extremely serious.

"The Confucian sages have sent down divine punishment, unprecedented in history! From this day forward, our Great Qi will become a laughingstock of the world! How could it have come to this? How could it have come to this!"

Emperor Qi looked at the ministers of the powerful families and asked, "What have you done to cause this commotion? How can this situation be salvaged?"

The court officials remained silent, and the members of the major aristocratic families dared not utter a word.

They all knew that Emperor Qi had already met with Lu Zheng, but he didn't mention Lu Zheng at all, clearly intending to shift all the blame to the major families and the academy.

After all, the responsibility cannot be pushed onto the sages and Lu Zheng, nor can the Qi Emperor step forward to take the blame.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report..."

A young official stepped forward.

Emperor Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, remembering that this young man was a member of a local aristocratic family. He had been promoted to an official position last year and was qualified to enter the court. Although his rank was not high, he was very talented. It was said that he had previously gone to Taiping Domain for training.

Emperor Qi said calmly, "Speak."

The young official spoke up: "The best course of action now is to issue an edict of punishment as soon as possible, detailing the incident in order to reassure the public..."

"The Confucian sages' punishments stem from their dissatisfaction with the prevailing Confucian values ​​in the world. We should reflect on ourselves and correct these negative trends..."

The young official rattled off a whole bunch of policies.

Emperor Qi listened calmly, as the man's ideas were not much different from some of Lu Zheng's conditions.

To stabilize the situation now, some major changes are indeed needed.

As for the edict of punishment, an edict of self-reproach is possible, but Emperor Qi would naturally not take all the blame upon himself. The main point was to explain that the blame originated from those Confucian scholars.

After the young officials finished giving their suggestions, Emperor Qi nodded slightly.

Emperor Qi discussed the matter with his ministers on the spot and issued some decrees.

During this period, Emperor Qi was still concerned about the health of some ministers, and told them that they could go back to recuperate or take care of their family affairs, and that other officials would temporarily take over their duties.

Hearing the Emperor's concern over the arrangement, the ministers all knew that this meant a change of leadership was imminent...

Such a statement is merely to give certain people a sense of dignity.

In the past, Emperor Qi had no way to deal with some ministers who relied on their seniority and authority.

Now, what can certain figures who have been abandoned by their own ancestors rely on in front of him?
Now, if Emperor Qi wanted to dismiss some ministers, it would only take a word from him, and no other ministers dared to stand up against it.

Overnight, a once revered and respected figure from a prominent family will be reduced to being universally disliked.

One of the senior officials couldn't bear the blow and fainted in the main hall, leaving others in a dilemma of whether to intervene or not.

Emperor Qi observed this and said calmly, "Summon the imperial physician. He mustn't die in the palace; that would be very unlucky!"

“Some people have a sense of shame now, but they are too ashamed to live, and if they die… they probably won’t be able to share incense with their ancestors. You should live and atone for your sins, otherwise you will really have no chance to turn things around.”

Emperor Qi walked away slowly with his hands behind his back.

Some ministers were shaken; if they didn't do something, the family's and individuals' reputations would probably be irreparably ruined.

In the future, history books will only say that they will be infamous for eternity.

……

At night, the moon and stars are rare.

Lu Zheng traveled under the cover of night and had already left the territory of the State of Qi.

The surrounding area was a desolate place, devoid of any human habitation.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng felt something and saw a bright light appear before him, and an extremely hot aura rushed towards him.

Several powerful forces arrived in an instant, tearing apart the space around Lu Zheng.

The next instant, Lu Zheng's figure disappeared as space shattered.

An old man with an air of otherworldly wisdom held a whisk in his hand.

The other man was tall and imposing, exuding a sinister aura. He grinned at the old man with the whisk and whispered, "Fellow Daoist, you are indeed a man of great foresight. This boy actually did pass through here."

Upon hearing this, the old man said leisurely, "It's just luck."

In the State of Qi, certain figures were reluctant to show their faces.

But outside of Qi, they can act more recklessly and try every means to target Lu Zheng.

This is one of the places they are waiting for.

Other powerful individuals were also lying in wait elsewhere, searching for Lu Zheng's whereabouts.

The burly man said in a deep voice, "This boy has caused such trouble in Qi, it's truly terrifying. If we can't get rid of him, who knows what else he might do in the future. Is there anything wrong with your grand formation, fellow Daoist?"

Upon hearing this, the old man said calmly, "I painstakingly set up this grand formation, and with the suppression of that person's Dao field, it won't be so easy for him to invite a saint."

The old man paused, then continued, "I have already used my Taoist magic to send a message to the others; they will arrive soon to ensure everything goes smoothly. We don't need that person to suppress him, just to stall him. Until then, we must remain vigilant to prevent him from escaping this place..."

The burly man raised an eyebrow, his powerful aura already encompassing the surrounding area, monitoring every rustle of wind and movement. ...

Lu Zheng stared calmly ahead, before him a dazzling white light, the air thick with heat.

In the dim light, Lu Zheng could see a huge sun hanging in front of him.

The entire sun exuded an incomparably sacred aura, containing powerful divine might.

Within that sun, there was also a hazy, indistinct figure.

Lu Zheng's eyes flashed, and he finally saw the figure clearly.

A man as tall as a small mountain, dressed in a magnificent robe covered with dazzling runes, exuded an aura of Daoist charm.

Sensing the other party's powerful aura, Lu Zheng asked, "God of Chu, Lord Dong?"

The man in the sunlight slightly raised his eyebrows to look at Lu Zheng, his voice melodious, "It is indeed I, you have kept me waiting for quite some time."

Lu Zheng smiled and said leisurely, "Is that so? If you want to see me, why don't you go to the New Kingdom to find me? What's the meaning of this? You, the sun god of Chu, can't you do things openly and honestly? That's strange..."

Upon hearing this, Dong Jun's expression darkened, and the killing intent in his eyes almost materialized.

Lu Zheng continued, "You're dealing with me all by yourself? I sensed another aura just now. Didn't any of your Chu Kingdom's other great gods come? Someone even used the Fate-Controlling Technique on me earlier."

Lu Zheng had anticipated and prepared for the attack by powerful figures, so he remained calm in the face of the current situation.

At worst, he could fight to the death with someone, but those people might not be willing to risk their lives for him.

Dongjun coldly replied, "One god is enough for me."

This is his divine domain, and it would be detrimental for others to perform well here. They should stay outside to prevent any changes.

Dongjun looked at Lu Zheng and said quietly, "You are very outstanding, but unfortunately too outstanding. A young man like you should not exist in this world."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Dongjun... I have heard that in ancient times, all kinds of people worshipped the sun in the sky and offered incense and sacrifices to it. Eventually, a divine thought emerged in the world formed from the incense and sacrifices of billions of living beings. This thought was then revered as Dongjun, the divine incarnation of the sun, symbolizing light and justice..."

"Later, the incense offerings of the gods changed, and mortal beings stole the incense offerings of the Eastern Lord to achieve divine status. After many years, the original Eastern Lord is long gone..."

Lu Zheng looked at the Chu State God in front of him and said in a cold voice, "You are nothing but a usurper, and you should not exist in this world."

The man was furious upon hearing this, his eyes blazing with fury.

Instantly, the entire space rippled, and incredibly hot flames erupted, engulfing Lu Zheng and threatening to burn him into nothingness.

The man originally wanted to chat with Lu Zheng more and kill some more time, but Lu Zheng's words really hit his weak spot.

Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.

He could proclaim himself in front of others as a great god of the Chu state, a noble deity with the name of the Eastern Lord.

But he knew very well what kind of identity he had.

Now, Lu Zheng has bluntly torn away his disguise.

Faced with the overwhelming divine power that was suppressing them, Lu Zheng remained unfazed.

A burst of scorching flames rose up from his body, enveloping him in a ball of heat.

This is a solar phenomenon that he cultivated.

Compared to the man's sun, it appeared much smaller.

Both suns, one large and one small, radiate light and heat, but the power and energy they contain are clearly different.

The man narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You are far inferior to me in cultivating the Way of the Sun."

The man slightly raised his hand, and a surge of immense power transformed into beams of light that shot towards Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng remained unmoved, his voice booming: "Thief of Gods, no matter how dazzling your light may be, even if it can illuminate a region of heaven and earth, it cannot dispel the darkness in your heart..."

Lu Zheng's eyes burned with fury, and the Taiping Codex appeared in his hand.

The Taiping Code was flipped through frantically, and wisps of energy emanated from it.

The forces of law and reason became intertwined with the man's divine power.

"Stealing divine power, exploiting the people, and being unworthy of his position... his crimes deserve to be punished!"

An invisible aura quickly swept out from Lu Zheng's body.

The surrounding divine powers were instantly affected.

Lu Zheng raised his hand again, and the new poem was in his hand, giving him immense power.

In an instant, the light emanating from Lu Zheng eclipsed all the light in the entire space.

"There must be an embodiment of light in this world. Perhaps it is not me, but it is certainly not you!"

Lu Zheng's figure flashed, rushing towards the huge sun in the sky at an extremely fast speed, his momentum unstoppable.

The man was filled with shock and anger, but he found himself unable to control his power.

The sun dharma image he had cultivated actually showed signs of rejecting him.

Damn it! The man focused his mind, trying his best to suppress the tremors of this divine realm and forcefully stop Lu Zheng.

Soon, the man's expression changed again, because he discovered that the divine power was not very effective against Lu Zheng's attack.

Even some of the power in this divine realm is being slowly absorbed by Lu Zheng.

The man's expression grew increasingly grim. He had thought he could easily suppress Lu Zheng with his superior strength.

However, Lu Zheng's abilities exceeded his expectations.

He hasn't even become a saint yet, and he already has such abilities. What will happen when Lu Zheng becomes a saint? The man was extremely unsettled.

He also understood why some people would go to so much trouble, uniting so many powerful individuals, just to deal with this young man.

Lu Zhengzhi faced the man, his figure gradually becoming blurry.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zheng disappeared from his spot, and a giant sword with dazzling light took shape, the purest form of light.

The man's heart pounded; his intuition told him that danger was approaching.

He didn't even have the thought of resisting before he moved in the next instant.

The dazzling light flashed by in an instant, and the enormous sun, unable to move in time, was instantly sliced ​​in two, leaving a barely perceptible slit.

Such a crack is almost invisible to a giant sun.

However, it caused the two parts of the sun to separate directly, the crack growing larger and larger, with divine energy gushing out uncontrollably, completely beyond the man's control.

This divine power, which did not belong to him, was dissipating at an extremely fast speed.

The entire divine realm suddenly lost its stability.

Outside, the old man holding a whisk suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

He didn't even have time to warn the powerful demon beside him; he immediately cast a spell and fled into the distance. (End of Chapter)